Carol, if you haven't yet done so, do mulch, with any natural material - avoid pine bark if the crabapple is planted on a slope as the bark pieces can float way in heavy rain - as widely as possible (at least 3' diameter, more is better), no deeper than 4", and no mulch in the inch or 2 next to the trunk. Don't put any plastic or landscape cloth under the mulch - it ends up looking awful in a few years, and does nothing for the tree. You will probably need to replenish the mulch, and maybe extend the area, annually. I would water it well for the next week or so, if your soil isn't heavy clay, as the tree has had a hard time and may be stressed, and then water it only when the soil in the root ball or right next to the root ball is dry (under the mulch) - stick a finger in to the second knuckle, or use a pointed dowel, and only water when the soil down 2" or so is dry. If it is still moist, then wait for a day or two - depending on HOW moist - and if it is dry, water. You want the water to get to the bottom of the root ball, so long, slow watering is MUCH better than a quick spritz with the hose - relying on the water system for the lawn will NOT give enough water for at least the first 2 years - it may be fine after then. Do not rely on a schedule to water - which is, I know, a pain to remember - but water needs can vary according to how sandy or clay-y the soil is, how hot the temperatures are, how sunny or cloudy or windy it has been, all of which take NO account of a schedule. Eventually, you will get a feel for how much water is needed, how often, and won't have to check as often. You are responsible for all watering (if there has been less than an inch of rain in the past week - if that much or more, relax, nature did it for you) for the first 2 years - you can start to taper off toward the end of the second year, but still water even in the third year in extended dry periods. You won't, naturally, have to water in winter, but if there is little precipitation going into Dec./Jan., and the ground isn't yet frozen, you may still need to water - you might not, also, so check.

Is it possible your child tastebuds were different? I ate things when I was a kid (with relish) that I find inedible now, including green apricots, natal plums, and sourgrass. Probably not the case, but I thought I'd bring it up. Renee

First thing that needs to be done (if you are going to give it a chance) is to remove the damaged portion. There is approximately a zero percent chance of mending that portion. Once you make a proper pruning cut just above the highest good branch, hopefully the tree will take over from there. That top limb will become the new leader. It will look awkward for a year or two, but probably look good again in less time than you think. Watch for potential multi-leader development and address that situation if it occurs. I know how you feel, I've had this kind of thing happen to me more than once, and it's so disappointing. But I've also had trees that this happened to that you couldn't tell anything happened to after a few years (unless you really knew where to look and looked closely).

Thanks, everyone! cearbhaill, I just went out and did a slight trim - what a different a minor haircut makes! The whole thing looks much neater now. Thanks! Now, I don't think that it shows much of a different in the photo below, but trust me, in reality, it is much neater. Some branches were literally growing along the ground!!! The branches are just a few inches off the ground but it is not that apparent in the photo though... Ken, I think that the photo before looked surreal because my phone camera somehow added some bokeh effect to it, so that the background is blurry! It didn't do that to this latest photo.... who knows why? These smart phones are getting too smart for their own sake! LOL! In terms of the staking, the little tree actually was not staked last year. Then it started to really lean badly towards one side, probably due to the wind direction. So this year, I just staked it gently, so that it will grow up with a straighter trunk. You can see that there is still a slight lean but not as bad as before. I agree that the stakes should be removed soon.